Headlines

WaPo

States need “navigators” for insurance exchanges — and hiring them is a huge task

While some people will find registering for health insurance as easy as booking a flight online, vast numbers who are confused by the myriad choices will need to sit down with someone who can walk them through the process.

Enter the “navigators,” an enormous new workforce of helpers required under the law. In large measure, the success of the law and its overriding aim of making sure that virtually all Americans have health insurance depends on these people. But the challenge of hiring and paying for a new class of workers is immense and is one of the most pressing issues as the Obama administration and state governments implement the law.

Tens of thousands of workers will be needed — California alone plans to certify 21,000 helpers — with the tab likely to run in the hundreds of millions of dollars. …

Over the short term, some workers may be funded by federal grants, state budgets or private money. But over the longer term, most of the costs are to be covered by the new health-care marketplaces, called “exchanges,” being set up in every state. The money will come from fees that insurers will pay to sell their plans on the exchanges.

Blowback

Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.

Oh my God…I’m not a violent person normally, but I want to THROTTLE all those sniveling know-it-alls who mocked those of us who opposed this monstrosity as alarmists. There is no bottom to this awful pit, is there?

Oh my God…I’m not a violent person normally, but I want to THROTTLE all those sniveling know-it-alls who mocked those of us who opposed this monstrosity as alarmists. There is no bottom to this awful pit, is there?

ellifint on February 5, 2013 at 1:12 PM

I simply desire the opportunity to punish an estranged friend who alienated me by doing exactly that. As in literally, I want to ruin their life by using her words against her.

They will all be organized under the SEIU, make $25/hour, and get lifetime pensions after just a few years of work. Plus, they will be put up on pedestals as those who bring life and health to the poor! Cloward-Piven on steroids, with the plebes worshipping them.

Every time I look at the post apocalyptic landscapes of Canada, the UK, Austrailia or any of the top 10 countries in Heritage foundations’ list of world’s freest economies, I fear the same would happen here due to Obamacare.

Now the real organizing starts. Maybe we could just have local neighborhood “navigators” who can keep track of help the people in their small local area. They could report to stay in touch with regional “navigators”, who report to someone further up and so on. Think of how “helpful” it would be, say, to know when people are going on vacation–the “navigator” could help make sure they bring their medications, and make sure they check in with the local “doctor” when they get to their destination. Plus, I think we really all want to have a handle on what, exactly, are the medical ailments in our local area, and to make sure no one is having too many children and whatnot.

They will all be organized under the SEIU, make $125/hour, and get lifetime pensions after just a few years of work. Plus, they will be put up on pedestals as those who bring life and health to the poor! Cloward-Piven on steroids, with the plebes worshipping them.